Autumn Creations
by CeceTheAuthor
Summary: Miss Bustier announces a challenge that gets Marinette's inspiration flowing.


It was another normal school day at College Françoise Dupont. Miss Bustier's class had already finished all of their classwork for the day and were now chatting amongst themselves, discussing the things they got up to on the prior weekend as she prepared for the announcement she was about to make.

"Alright class, today I have a new project for you," Miss Bustier began, and the class quietened down at the sound of her voice. "Due to the change in season, we have decided to set up an Autumn themed challenge for all of the classes to participate in. There will be one winner per class who will receive a 50 voucher for a store of their choosing." She announced, some of the class' eyes lighting up when she mentioned the prize, it was a big incentive for some of them.

"What do we have to do?" Alya questioned, intrigued by the challenge and its prize.

"It's quite simple. You have to create something Autumn themed using typical things associated with the season. For example, you could do some leaf pressings." Miss Bustier explained, noticing that a few less creative members of the class slumped in defeat at having less of a winning chance.

Marinette's face brightened up in excitement, inspiration already beginning to flow as a plethora of ideas flooded her mind. The bell rang shortly after, and she ran out of the room, wanting to jot down the ideas before they left her short-term memory and before she could be distracted by something else.

She rushed down the front steps, pulling out her phone to type the list of ideas, and headed out to find the materials she may need.

"What have you decided to make, Marinette?" Tikki inquired as she discreetly poked her head out from Marinette's bag.

"You'll see." Is all Marinette replied with as she started to gather up all of the materials needed for the idea she had decided to carry out.

The ladybug kwami shrugged, continuing to eat her chocolate chip cookie, as she hid herself away inside the comfort of the tiny bag once more.

Once Marinette had gathered a sufficient number of the materials that she needed, she made her way back home, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck for warmth as cold puffs of air came from her mouth.

As soon as she got back home, she ran up the stairs and into her room, dropping the items she had gathered on her desk, laying them out so that she could see the choices she had to work with.

She switched her computer on, searching for the pictures she would need to be able to pull her project off. Once she had all of the references ready, she got to work.

Tikki flitted around as her chosen worked diligently, Marinette's hands working in rapid motion as she continued her work.

She intricately weaved the twigs through one another, somehow managing not to snap any of them, despite her usual clumsiness.

A few hours later, Marinette put the finishing touches onto the last of her creations and placed it down on her desk along with the other things she had made.

"They're finished!" She called out to her kwami, alerting Tikki as she flew over to see the finished product.

"Wow, these are amazing, Marinette! You have a great chance at winning." Tikki excitedly cheered as Marinette carefully packed a few of them into a small box so that she could take them into class the next day.

She yawned, noticing that it had already gone dark outside, and began to get ready for bed, eagerly awaiting the results of the challenge.

The next morning, Marinette bursts into the classroom as the bell rings, indicating that she'd only just made it on time.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down in her seat, placing the box on the table as she looked around at everyone else's creations.

She could see that Chloé hadn't even been the one to make hers as Sabrina had bandages on her hands, probably to cover up some cuts from making Chloé's crown. It looked to be made of rose stems which wasn't even Autumn themed.

She could also see that Rose and Juleka has each made a garland using twigs and leaves. Nathaniel had managed to make a miniature house out of various shaped pieces of wood and had even painted on some details to make it look more realistic.

Looking toward the front of the room, she could see that Adrien had made a simple candle holder and Nino, who most likely rushed his given what it was, had made a ball out of twigs.

Alya had a star made out of twigs with a myriad of different coloured leaves dotted on it to give it some more colour and make it stand out.

"Woah!" Alya exclaimed as Marinette unpacked hers. "How on earth did you make all these in one night?" She questioned, carefully picking up a few to inspect them.

"A lot of patience was needed." Marinette admitted, recalling the number of times she'd groaned in frustration as twigs snapped, leaves ripped or cuts appeared. She had a few plasters on her fingers from that.

"I love this fox. It's adorable!" Alya commented, her eyes sparkling, as she placed it back down on the table.

"You can keep it if you want." She offered and Alya nodded, a large grin on her face.

Marinette had managed to make an assortment of animals that tended to be associated with Autumn or matched the colours of the season. The was the fox that Alya had been eying, a hedgehog that had taken way too much time to make, a small squirrel, an owl and even a badger.

They heard someone clear their throat and turned to see Mr Damocles and Miss Bustier stood next to their desk, a clipboard in Miss Bustier's hands.

They'd been going from person to person, exchanging whispers and writing down notes as they inspected everyone's entries.

They each pick up one of the animals, inspecting it and exchanging whispers while writing down notes. They then move on to Alya's and do the same, nodding at them as they move on to the next desk.

Soon afterward, the two members of staff stood at the front of the classroom, ready to announce the results of the competition.

"Well done to everyone who participated, we loved all of your entries, but unfortunately only one can win." Miss Bustier began, smiling brightly at her students.

"After a quick discussion, we have come to the mutual agreement that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the winner." Mr Damocles continued and a few cheers were heard as Marinette's face lit up in glee.

At Miss Bustier's gesture, she got up from her seat and walked to the front of the classroom to discuss what shop her gift card would apply to.

The whole class, apart from Chloé, applauded her as her creations were placed on the front desk and Marinette made her way back to her seat.

"Awesome job, Marinette." Adrien complimented as she passed by causing her to blush slightly.

She felt a wave of immense satisfaction roll over her and smiled, feeling accomplished with her work.


End file.
